Okay, I am a Luddite.

I'm getting ready to finally make the move to a digital camera. We have lots of SLR cameras!(Canon, Minolta, Olympus, etc.)

I have a Canon EOS IX and a Canon EOS 650. I have a 35-70mm lens, a 28-80mm lens, and a 70-210mm lens.

What Canon (or other manufacturer) would you recommend? I know the Canon Power Shot 1 or G6 can't take these lenses but the Canon digital Rebel can.

I am somewhat serious about photography but no one would confuse me with Ansel.

Not wed to Canon ...

Also I have a HP photosmart printer. Any problems here? Can I just take the flash card and put it in the printer?

Anything else I should know?

Anybody want my old SLRs...I know this is not e-bay.

Thanks in advance.

Bill

Bill,

I am a Canon person and a semi-pro photographer. The Rebel cannot use all of your lenses, as I understand it. I have simlar lenses and I bought the D-10. You will be able to almost use it as your did your EOS cameras with little learning curve. The D-20 is just out and it is a higher megapixel, which for most things, you probably DON'T need. There are some good buys on the D-10 since the D-20 is out this month.

You can just pop your Compact Flash card in the photosmart printer. Or I bought a card reader - they are $25.00 approximate and then you use it like a floppy disk and can drag and drop the photos.

If you are looking for a more compact camera, you'd need to forgo the SLR aspect but I also have a G2 Powershot Pro and it takes great images for travelling.

You can sell or trade your equipment through KEH Cameras in Atlanta (KEH.com) There is a good market for used stuff in good condition. I tend to buy from B & H Photo, Calumet or my local small store.

You are all way "above my head" on the photography issue. As I read posts on this subject, I become convinced that I will have to own TWO digital cameras. One, like our Pentax Optio S should be a VERY compact "vacation" camera" that I can stuff into the pocket of my shorts and take anywhere with no bulk and no problem. It has 4 Meg and a 3X optical zoom (and additional digital zoom, which IMO is worthless). But its picture quality is limited by its rather small lens opening size, and it lacks the wide angle function that is needed, for example, in European cities.

In addition to this, we need another digital camera that has a larger lens opening for better quality, along with a wide angle function. I know that it cannot be as compact as the Optio S, but that will have to be the trade off for the better lens and the wide angle. So I, too, would like suggestions for our second digital camera, in light of these qualifications.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Kathy - B&H! My favorite photo supply store ... awesome service. :)

Richard - You're going to need a digital SLR or prosumer point and shoot. While I like Canons (have a Powershot digital camera), I also like Nikons a lot - I have the D70 digital SLR and I've also heard good things about the Fuji FinePix S602 Zoom which is an old camera so should be purchasable for cheap (goes down to 35 mm which should be a fairly decent wide angle) - also has a 6x optical zoom. The Canon G series also have a good reputation.

Masaki

I bought a Canon powershot A75 before our last cruise. Sept.6 - 17 Rouen to Barcelona. I took 280 shots and they are excellent. An attachment is available to take various lenses,. but I gave up my 35mm to avoid carrying lenses.
I spent many hours learning how to use it, and now am learning what to do with the board. So far I have put them on a disc. I have printed a few to send to friends I met on board, and now must learn how to send them over the internet.
I did research before bying at B & H over the internet. Great deal and good service.

We still swear by those Olympus Camedia (The C- Series), in our family. Small, lightweight, 10x optical zoom, and great quality. Mine is the 700, lesser pixel quantity by far, but here's a point-and-shoot of a subject you've seen before:

Hurricane Sarah

I took the picture at the lowest density, then ran it through Photo Shop and "thinned" it some more to make it load faster. It is still an admissable picture, after all of that.

Masaki,

We have the Fuji Fine pix, Zoom..It is a dream
but only drawback, wish it was more compact.

r/wes

Richard,

Having used a first-generation Sony cyber-shot during our cruise in Alaska, I am thinking of upgrading to an ultra-zoom digital, especially before our cruise to Australia/New Zealand November 2005). For what it's worth and after some research, I have become very interested in the Panasonic FZ20 or possibly the FZ3 if I want something a bit more compact. I am not a serious enough photographer to go for an SLR.

Eugene

Masaki:

What is a "prosumer point and shoot?" See, I am so ill informed, I don't even know how to ask the right questions.

Thanks,
Richard :) :) :)

Thanks for all the responses!

Bill

Rhchard and NHCruisers;
I found this site about reviews on cameras. The link is for the one I bought, but just tab around and I think you will get information about any camera out there!!! Very good reviews, with pictures of items on the camera. With easy to read stuff, and more info for the pro's.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/minoltadimage7hi/

Richard - a prosumer point and shoot is almost an oxymoron in terms. A prosumer is a consumer that's almost at the level of a professional - i.e., it's the level of performance that falls between professional and hobbyist. A point and shoot is a camera that has auto-everything that allows you to literally point the camera in a certain direction, push the shutter button, and get decent photos. Typically, it has a fixed lens with a built in optical zoom. A step above this would be a digital SLR with a single reflex lens design allowing a true WYSIWYG framing of shots and using interchangeable lens much like a standard film SLR. A prosumer point and shoot is a camera that does the point and shoot thing but also allows enough manual control that allows you to fine tune the picture to suit your needs. The Fuji Finepix I was talking about is a fine example of a prosumer point and shoot, as Wes has mentioned as well (it IS a little big, isn't it, Wes?).

The review for the Fuji is here at dpreview:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujis602z/

Masaki

Masaki, yep it is big, Richard's point about two
cameras makes sense...hey maybe a good reason to
go shop..r/wes

That's why I have 2 digital cameras too. :)

Masaki

I read the Fuji review that Masaki furnished, and I am too ill-informed on cameras to figure out one thing. Does either have a wide angle feature? I don't know if I'm the only one troubled by this, but in in European cities (or US cities for that matter) I often have the need to "zoom out" to a wide angle shot because the streets are too narrow to allow me to back up to get the "city pics" I want. I also have the need for a wide angle feature in the mountains. And, neither our old Sony Cybershot (broke) or our super-compact Pentax Optio S has this feature. Do either of these Fuji's have wide angle?

Thanks,
Richard :) :)

Richard, Have you ever used any of the software that allows you to "stitch" together several (slightly) overlapping pictures into a panoramic picture? A friend did that with several of my Alaskan pictures, including one of the Vancouver skyline as we arrived on the Mariner. The Panasonic cameras I mentioned apparently come with software that enables you to do this.

Eugene

Richard - a 50 mm lens is considered a "standard" lens - meaning that you see 1:1 with things around you - it mimicks the field of view of the human eye. Thus, anything smaller than this (like the zoom in this case that goes down to 35 mm) is wide angle. Having said that, your Pentax Optio S also goes down to 35 mm so if you don't find that wide enough, then you might need to look for other options. For instance, my Nikon D70 digital SLR came with a zoom lens that goes down to 28 mm which truly is a wide angle frame.

If you look at the bottom of this page - http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujis602z/page4.asp - you'll see that the Fuji has an optional wide angle lens that you can affix to the camera to give you a frame down to 28 mm. This would probably work though would add to your carrying weight since you would need to carry the camera and this lens separately.

Another option might be the new Canon Powershot Pro1 - this does go down to 28 mm as well. Price will certainly be more expensive for this than compared to the Fuji but definitely a prosumer oriented camera and you'll never go wanting for megapixels with 8MP images!
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonpro1/

Also, if you like Sonys, you may want to look at Sony's DSC-F828 which is very similar to the Canon. Picture quality isn't supposed to be as good though.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscf828/

HTH

Masaki

There is a conversion factor with the Digitals vs. film cameras. They don't see the subject the same. Thus a lens that would be standard for film at 50mm is actually equal to a 65mm lens on a digital camera. You need to convert the lens opening or apeture. For example, my favorite lens is a 50 macro so effectively with the digital its the same as a 65mm would be on a film camera. To get a wide angle view at 17mm with a digital is equal to 28mm film. Multiply 1.6 x the lens size to get the digital equal.

Sorry for the tech lingo. Please let me know if you need translation.

Good point, Kathy - forgot to mention that.

Masaki